Woodshed: How to Play a Dropped-D Gospel Theme as Recorded by Bahamian Guitar Legend Joseph Spence
Listen to any Joseph Spence song and you’ll find unexpected nuance and detail, no matter how many times you have heard it.
Nick Millevoi
Nick Millevoi is a guitarist, composer, educator, and writer from Philadelphia.
Video Lesson: Learn a Klezmer Classic Arranged for Solo Fingerstyle Guitar
“Yiddishe Hora” is a piece written in the early 20th century by composer, violinist, and bandleader Alexander Olshanetsky. Here it is arranged for solo guitar.
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Electric Guitar Virtuoso Mick Barr Discovers the Joy of Unplugging
Across these three new acoustic albums, guitarist Mick Barr has opened up worlds of possibility. We chatted about how he came to finally love the acoustic guitar.
Review: Córdoba Fusion 5 is a Crossover Acoustic-Electric Nylon-String That Won’t Break the Bank
For those wanting to add some nylon-string flavors to their sound, crossover guitars make the leap from steel-string a little bit easier, and the new Córdoba Fusion 5 is a great option that’s affordable and fun to play.
Review: Orange Acoustic Guitar Pedal
The Orange Acoustic Pedal is a single-ended class A preamp that with JFET circuit and plenty of headroom to provide a clean and low-noise signal.
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José González Draws from Wide Range of Influences, Including Tuareg Guitar, on ‘Local Valley’
Much of the charm of Local Valley, the fourth album from the Swedish-Argentinian singer-songwriter José González, comes from its intimate production values.
Gear Review: Fender Preverb and Smolder OD Stompboxes Bring Practicality and Fun to Acoustic Players
The Fender Acoustic Preverb and Smolder Acoustic OD are practical preamp/reverb and overdrive pedals designed especially for acoustic guitarists.
Guitar Review: Yamaha’s FGX3 Is a Modern Folk Workhorse Inspired by 1960s Classics
The guitar has a soft, warm tone that works great for fingerpicked chord patterns and breezy strumming. When strumming chords with a pick, I found it definitely sounds best to approach the FGX3 with a more delicate touch—a thinner pick and a soft strum can go a long way—while heavy-handed strumming and picking tend to get harsh. Approached with a light to medium touch, chords sound rich while maintaining a clarity that allows individual notes to shine.
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Guitar Review: Gibson’s 50s LG-2 Pairs Vintage Vibe with Modern Playability
The new 50s LG-2 is no exception. As soon as I picked it up, this guitar felt instantly familiar, and it was easy to imagine that I was holding a new old stock guitar, straight from the 1950s. After years of trying out heavily played vintage models, I feel like I know well just how this guitar will age after years of playing.
Acoustic Guitar Review: Gretsch G9520E Gin Rickey Parlor Guitar Is a Secret Tone Weapon
Based on Gretsch's Rex guitars from the 1930–1950s, the Gretsch Gin Rickey is a low-cost parlor guitar that would serve as a cool entry-level instrument.
Señor: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ Take on a Bob Dylan Classic
While the guitar playing is superlative throughout all ten of the album’s tracks, the duo’s work on Bob Dylan’s “Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)” truly stands out.
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Stay Loose and Avoid Injury by Developing a Guitar Warm-Up Routine
Just like any sport or exercise, it can take a bit of playing time before you reach your “zone"
Acoustic Guitar Review: Epiphone Masterbilt Excellente Offers Modern Take on a Vintage Rarity
The Epiphone Masterbilt Excellente guitar is like a time machine—take a good look at it and you might think you’ve been transported back about 50 or so years.
Gear Review: Curtis Novak Magnetic Soundhole Pickups
Pickup wizard Curtis Novak recently launched a new line of magnetic soundhole designs that deliver a wide range of vintage-style tones.
Gear Review: Taylor Builder’s Edition 324ce and 816ce
For the new Builder’s Edition collection, Taylor master guitar designer Andy Powers has selected various models—from the 300 series up to the 900 series—and outfitted them with a variety of pragmatic and experimental upgrades.
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Shop Visit: Luthier Raymond Morin and His Pleinview Guitars
Pleinview’s reputation has spread predominately through word of mouth, an approach to marketing that has worked well for Raymond Morin and his assistant, Adam Rousseau.
Guitar Review: Guild Memoir Series
Guild's Memoir series, which includes the P-240 Memoir and DS-240 Memoir acoustic guitars reviewed here, are part of the company's Westerly Collection.
Video Review: Cort Gold Mini F
The Cort Gold Mini F short-scale guitar is worth a look from serious players.
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Guitar Talk: Yasmin Williams Finds Her Own Way
Watching Yasmin Williams perform, it is immediately apparent that the 22-year-old guitarist has an uncommon approach to her solo playing.
Adam Buchwald of Iris Guitar Company & Circle Strings
“I wanted to make guitars for working musicians, and most musicians—at least the ones I know—can’t afford to spend $4,000 on a custom guitar,” Buchwald says.
Guitar Talk: Nels Cline Bonds with a Curious Old National
Wilco guitarist and master improviser Nels Cline is drawn to a guitar that’s lived a life and has a story. Each of his instruments seems to have a colorful background, and every time Cline cracks open another case, I get the full rundown on what’s inside.
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Martin Celebrates Its Flagship D-28 With a New Exhibit
Standing in front of the display cases and taking it all in, it’s easy to witness the dynamic nature of the D-28’s history and that of its predecessors.
Makers & Shakers: Inside Fred Oster’s world-class vintage fretted instrument collection
The 13,000-square-foot building houses his two businesses, Vintage Instruments and Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins, and contains some of the finest and oldest examples of acoustic guitars to be found in any one place.
